


A Crown of Stars and Shadows

by DigitalDaydreamer, onlyinafigurativesense



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Eventual Smut, Everyone is legal btw, Haou is already fused with Jaden...for now lol, King!Jaden, M/M, Minor Canonical Character(s), Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Yubel, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Servant!Yusei, Starshipping, Trans Jaden/Judai, Trans Male Character, some canon elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-14 22:26:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7193348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalDaydreamer/pseuds/DigitalDaydreamer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyinafigurativesense/pseuds/onlyinafigurativesense
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>In these flowers I found you the truest red that I'd ever seen. Until you cut yourself on their thorns. You winced and I kissed you, I kissed your palms and we both laughed. So unaware of the gathering storm.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Proposition

**Author's Note:**

> A little story I've had in in my head for a while. Thanks to my aibou onlyinafigurativesense for editing this and helping it become real (and readable lol) Enjoy!

The heavy copper shackles clanged against his wrists and the stone floor of the corridor, echoing throughout the hallway. Yusei Fudo kept a stoic face on as he stared at the back of the person in front of him. There was a mark burned into the skin of their bare back: a huge red cross, branded into them to signify the severity of their misdeeds. Yusei could feel the jagged line of his own mark stinging his left cheek- a mark he didn’t earn, a mark he took so his younger friend could escape. He wore another mark on his right forearm; a birthmark. The mark of the Crimson Dragon, one of the legendary signers of the People of the Stars. At least, that's what his mother used to say. He didn't really remember much about her besides the stories she told him- stories about the People of the Stars, how they knew of the mark and would find him when it came time. His mother used to say they were hiding from someone who could destroy them, but she had hope. So did he, once- but whatever ‘time’ they were supposed to find him came too late. His mother was gone, and all he had left was a constant reminder of what fairytales didn't accomplish.  

He pushed his thoughts of his mother and the People of the Stars out of his mind as the corridor opened up into a grand room, fountains lining the walls and courtiers watching the procession, snickering as they passed.  _Typical palace dogs._  Yusei kept his head up and forward, ready to see what the Supreme King had in store for him. 

The guards lined them up in the throne room, a grand hall lined with a tapestry depicting what he assumed was the king, bedecked in armor and battling a being of light. Ironic, Yusei thought, since his mother always taught him light was good. He glared at the tapestry and wondering why someone who liked darkness was ruling here.  The shackles around his wrists felt heavy and he looked down at them, sighing. He wanted to get on with his punishment so he could go back home and rethink his original plan of escaping this godforsaken kingdom. The crowd of royals hushed as someone in front of the throne stepped out from the curtains. 

"Attention criminals!" Their voice rang out clear in the room, any last whispers silencing.  _Yubel. The king's most trusted advisor._ Yusei studied their face as they begin to read the list of names.  Their two tone hair, parted perfectly down the middle, framed the eye tattooed on their forehead, a symbol of the great power they held inside them. Legend told that The Eye chose and fused with them, granting them strange abilities. Not that he believed it or disbelieved the legends. He would have to see for himself- would likely get to see for himself, since Yubel was notorious for putting on... flamboyant executions.  Yubel read Yusei's name last and he glanced up at them. For a moment, their eyes locked. He felt something stir within him and he could swear their third eye glinted gold before they closed the scroll. 

"Face your judgment, heathens. The Supreme King, Wielder of the Gentle Darkness, comes now!" And at that moment, a young man not much older than Yusei stepped out from the curtain. He wore a ravishing red cloak and a white tunic, decorated with gold jewelry that was likely worth more that Yusei himself. The most noticeable piece was the tiara worn around his forehead, a single cut ruby centered in a swirl of black metal threads. Yubel gave the king a fond smile. 

A little too fond, Yusei thought, staring up at the exchange. The trembling of the prisoner next to him interrupted his thoughts, their quivering making his own shackles shake. The rest of the criminals had their heads bowed, and some were even whimpering.  Yusei returned his gaze to the king, and found himself incapable of looking away. The King hadn't noticed Yusei yet, his gaze meandering down the line of prisoners. When he got to Yusei he faltered, blinking. The gold in his eyes shifted into a warm brown before he looked at Yubel again. The King smirked, and his eyes glimmered gold once more before he started with the first prisoner, observing the sigil branded into his skin and whispering something to Yubel. 

"Death!" Yubel grinned as they exclaimed. The criminal wept as the guards took him away, saying something about how it was an accident. Yubel went down the line, speaking for the king, the punishments alternating between imprisonment, slavery, banishment, and death. Each prisoner was dragged away, some crying and some shouting profanities. When the pair reached Yusei, he held his head up high and stared right at the King. 

"I'd like to hear my sentence from the King himself," he said, "If I am to die, I deserve at least that." 

Yubel clicked their tongue and glared at him. "You insolent-" 

The king raised his hand and Yubel stopped short, looking at him with slight concern. "Jaden,” they murmured, “This man has no respect. He's-" 

Jaden turned, fixing them with those warm, curious brown eyes of his. "I'll handle this," he said, voice soft so only his advisor could hear. "I know you felt his aura, too, Yubel." 

He turned back to Yusei, cocking his head to the side."So, you want to hear it from me then?'” 

The king stood, a playful smirk on his face as he descended from his throne, his footsteps echoing through the hall. The crowd surrounding them spoke in hushed whispers. Yusei felt a chill run down spine that had nothing to do with his state of dress. 

"Yes," Yusei said, eyes fixed on the king.   

Jaden circled him, inspecting him as he did. _Tall, Dark, Handsome- hm. He could be useful._ "Hmm..."  

He wore a playful smile as he tapped a ringed finger on his lips. Jaden saw the dragon mark on his arm and raised an eyebrow.  _That_  was interesting. Something told him he needed Yusei alive.   

It was a bonus that Yusei was the best looking person in the room. Jaden always did have a weakness for tattoos. He stood in front of him again, still wearing that same smile. 

"Your name is Yusei, correct?"  

Yusei nodded, holding his gaze. He was somehow less anxious with the king standing in front of him than he'd been with Jaden sitting on the throne. He kept his composure.  

"And you're charged with helping a common worker escape...hm."  

Yusei nodded once more. He knew what he did, and he was glad the child escaped. That workplace wasn't safe for them- not that this King knew or cared about any of that. Jaden's gaze flicked over him, his smile growing wider.  

"You're honest, I'll give you that," he said, chuckling. It surprised Yusei how light and charming Jaden's laugh was. He'd expected it to sound cruel. 

"I have a proposition for you, Yusei."  

The crowd started to smile and snicker, already knowing what was coming. Jaden had a reputation as a harsh king, but also a very...  _loving_  one. The palace parties he held were nothing to scoff at if you were high class. And well, Jaden loved to have company over for each occasion. Sometimes having multiple partners at a time. Yusei swallowed down his nerves, keeping his gaze fixed on the king. 

"You become my personal servant for one year." Jaden grinned and Yubel  groaned behind him. "Not this again," they muttered.  

Yusei's heart stopped. "Excuse me?" 

"You heard me. You serve me for one year, and then I'll let you go. And when I say service-" Jaden paused, biting his lip as he dragged his gaze over Yusei's bare torso, "I mean anything I ask for."  

Yusei felt himself blush ever so slightly. The King just asked him to be his escort.  _I can't believe I'm gonna say yes to this so I don't die. I still have to find my dragon._

Yusei's hesitation made Jaden tap his foot impatiently. Jaden really wanted him to say yes, if only because he needed to talk to him about that mark. He was also more than curious to see what Yusei was capable of as lover- if he was willing, of course. If not, Jaden would just have to make up some grand story about their bedroom escapades. It wouldn't be the first time he'd started such rumours about himself. After all, he had a reputation to keep up.  _Someone has to keep the palace gossip alive._

"Well?"  he asked.  

Yusei set his jaw, clenching his fists. "...Fine. I'll do it."  

Jaden's smile brightened and he clapped. "Alright! Attaboy." 

He reached up to ruffle Yusei's raven hair but Yusei leaned away from him, giving him a distasteful look. No one touches my hair. Jaden pouted and crossed his arms, then laughed. "No worries," he said cheerfully, winking at Yusei. He dropped his voice, leaning in close enough Yusei could almost feel the king's lips brush his jaw as he spoke. "Plenty of time to mess it up later."  

He turned towards Yubel, giving them a thumbs up. The advisor rolled  their eyes, and Jaden rolled his back before addressing his guards. "Guards!" he called, "Take Yusei here and clean him up real nice for me. Leave him in my quarters when you're done. We have a lot to discuss!"  

Jaden winked at him once more before returning to his throne, to only have Yubel launch into a tirade about his decision. "You cannot keep doing this, it's the fourth time-" 

The guards unshackled him and Yusei rubbed his wrists as he was lead away from the throne room. The crowd was giggling at him, throwing around words like "palace plaything" and "harlot".  

_What on earth did I get myself into this time?_


	2. A Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thanks to the aibou for editing this! I hope you guys look forward to the shenanigans that Jaden has in store for Yusei hehe.

After being uncomfortably scrubbed down by the guards in the bathing area, Yusei was lead down another set of corridors in only a towel. Some of the handmaids that walked by giggled shyly as they watched him. Yusei kept his gaze forward, trying to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks. This was humiliating. They stopped at a large set of grandiose doors, and one the of the guards finally spoke.

"These are the quarters of the Supreme King. His Majesty has the right to enter at any time he wishes," he said gruffly as he opened the doors up. "Be grateful you have this opportunity, street scum." And with that they pushed Yusei inside, the doors clicking shut behind him. He looked around the room, taking in his lavish surroundings. This beat the underground sewers, at least. There was a fresh blue outfit lined with gold and orange trim laid upon the bed along with a plethora of jewelry. _Does he really expect me to wear this?_ Yusei picked up a pair of extravagant earrings and scoffed, setting them back down. He had just started to change when he heard a knock on the door.

"I'm coming in!"

The chipper voice of the king came from the other side and Yusei cursed under his breath. He barely managed to yank his bottoms up before Jaden entered, giving him a cheeky smile as he closed the door behind him.

"You look nice!" the king said, moving to sit on top of the dresser, swinging his legs.  
Yusei folded his arms and stood there quietly, looking at him.

"What do you want, your highness?" he finally asked.

"Oh man,” Jaden said, chuckling, “I'm liking the hard to get attitude."

He hopped off the dresser, winking at him before closing the distance between them, reaching for Yusei’s arm and pulling it up so he could inspect it. "I came in here to talk about you. Well more specifically, this."

He pointed at Yusei’s mark, smiling up at the taller man with that curious smile of his.

"Oh,” Yusei said, frowning and trying to pull his arm back, “It's just a birthmark.”

He left it at that, not wanting to give the king any more details. The People of the Stars might be a myth, but if they were still out there he needed to make sure he found them himself. He wasn’t going to let someone like Jaden ruin that chance.

"Tsk, tsk, Yusei,” the king said, raising an eyebrow, “I may act dumb, but I'm really not."

He laughed as he traced the dragon mark with his index finger.

"This is from another land. You're not from around here... I can feel it. This is something special!"

His finger circled around the head of the dragon and Yusei could feel a blush creeping to his face. _What was with this guy?_ Jaden grinned up at him and let go of his forearm. Yusei rubbed it protectively, frowning as Jaden laughed.

"We'll find out what you are just yet. Yubel and I will work on it. But for now....your job is too look pretty and do whatever I say. Which isn't hard. I don't ask for much."  
Yusei sighed and nodded, looking at the floor. Jaden could feel he wasn't too thrilled about being here but he wanted to change that.

"You know, since you’re a personal servant and escort of mine....you can use whatever you want here. I mean, there's some off limit areas, of course. You know how that goes, ancient legacy to keep up and whatnot."

Yusei glanced over at him. Anything, huh...?

"The library," Yusei requested, and Jaden tilted his head.

"The library? Really? That place is boring, but...I guess you can use it." Jaden shrugged as he started to walk towards the door. "You're odd, Yusei, you know that?"

Yusei gave him a tiny half smile. "Yeah, well,” he said, shrugging. “Thanks."

Jaden blinked at him. Yusei's smile was incredibly cute. _I'm gonna try to make him do that more often, oh man._ The king let out a soft laugh and came up to him, motioning him to lean down with his finger. "One more thing."

Yusei raised an eyebrow and leaned down, cautious.

"There's a party at sundown tonight. Make sure you're there." As quick as he flashed him his bright smile, he planted a soft kiss on his cheek. He laughed again and walked back towards the door, leaving a very confused and flustered Yusei standing there.

"Have fun at the library! It's down the west wing to the left. Later!"

Jaden flashed him one last smile before closing the door behind him. The only sound Yusei could hear was his heartbeat, and that itself wasn't too bad, much to his own surprise. Focus Yusei, get yourself to the library. He took a breath and stepped out of the king's quarters, trying his best to ignore the tingling sensation on his cheek.


End file.
